Timber-driver for sewer-sheathing



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) f

W. D. VAN DUZEE. TIMBBRDRIVBR POR SEWER SHEATHING.

Patented Apr. 11, 1893.

WJ. ImLmWJN-w i... n 2 e 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. D. VAN DUZEB. TIMBER vDRIVER POB. SEWER SHBATHING.

No. 495,126. Patented'Apr. 11, 1893,

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UNITED 'STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. VAN DUZEE, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

TIMBER-DRIVER FOR SEWER-SHEATHING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 495,126, dated. April11, 1893.

Application tiled February 23,1892. Serial No. 422.359. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM D.VAN DUZEE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTimber-Drivers for Use on Sewer-Sheathing; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to timber drivers; and is especially designed tomeet the conditions and requirements of sewer work.

As is well known, to persons familiar with the construction of sewers,vertical timbers called sheathing are employed to retain the banks ofthe trench, until the sewer proper has been constructed therein. Thesesheathing timbers are usually planks of about four to eight inches inwidth by two inches in thickness and of any desired length notordinarily exceeding twelve to sixteen feet. Ordinarily, they are notdriven over about threefourths of their length and often less. Hitherto,the work of driving these sheathing timbers has been,for the most partdone by hand, requiring a large amount of hard labor with a man1. It hasbeen proposed to employ piledrivers for the purpose; but the ordinaryconstruction of such machines requiring side framing as guides for thedrop-weight or movable steam hammer, renders such machines unsuitablefor sewer work. The sheathingtimbers being light are capable of beingquickly driven, when other than hand power is applied, necessitating afrequent change in the position of the driver. The clumsy frameworkrequired for supporting an ordinary pile-driver cannot b e moved withsufficient rapidity to make its application to this class of workprofitable.

My invention has for its object to remove the above noted limitations byproviding a driver which may be supported in its working position solelyby the timber to be driven, without requiring the use of side-framing orstays of any kind; and which is so constructed and mounted that it maybe readily and quickly removed from one timber to another.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

Therein like letters referring to like parts throughout-Figure l is aside elevation. of the machine in working position. Flg. 2 is asectional elevation of the same looking from the front. Figs. 3 and 4are details in side view and plan respectively,showing the ropegrip.Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the ram-driving engine, takencrosswise from the valve chest. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of theengine cylinder taken on the line X X of Fig. 5; and Figs. 7 and 8 aredetails, showing the valve and the removable part of the valveseatdetached.

A represents one of the walls of the sewer trench.

B represents one of the sheathing timbers, in its lowermost or drivenposition.

O C is a driving-head applicable to the timber to be driven.

D D is the ram-driving engine, and E is the ram-head or hammer, secureddirectly to the piston of the driving engine. 1 l

The part C' of the driving head is in the form of a hollow cylinder,which telescopes with a corresponding cylinder F secured to the lowerend of the driving engine. These two parts or telescopiug members C andF, constitute the lower end guideand connection between the drivingengine and the drivinghead and inclose the ram-head or hammer. They areheld together with freedom for a limited movement by any suitableconnection, such as the bolts, shown at e.

D2 is the steam supply pipe and D3 the exhaust pipe to the drivingengine; D4 the throttle-valve on the same, and D5 an ordinary oil-cup.

G is a cylinder rigidly secured to the top of the driving engine. G isthe piston within the said cylinder, and G2 a pipe from the upper end ofthe said cylinder, in communication with the steam supply pipe through athree-way cock G3 and a union G4. G5 is an exhaust branch to the saidpipe through the said three-way cock G3.

H is the over-bead support, extending along the line of the work. It ispreferably in the form of an I-beam, projected from the top of asuitable frame mounted on trucks and movable lengthwise of the sewer.This frame and truck are not shown in the drawings, but may be of anysuitable construction. The beam IOO may be of any convenient length,according to the range of work it is desired to do without moving thetruck and frame.

K is a trolley mounted to move on the lower anges of the beam andcontrolled by the operator through a pair of ropes K and sheaves K2.

L is a block and tackle connecting the piston G with the trolley K, bymeans of which, the driving engine may be set at any desired elevation,according to the drive required.

The cylinder G and the piston G with the means for supplyingandexhausting the steam to the upper end of the same, constitutea liftingengine, by means of which the driving engine is lifted from the timberlast driven to the proper level for application to the next timber to bedriven. The cylinder G of this lifting engine is preferably formed of alength equal to that of the ordinary drive required for sheathingtimbers. The cylinder and piston of this lifting engine also serve asupper end guides for holding the driving engine in its verticalposition, with freedom to follow the timber as driven bythe ram. Theblock and tackle is held in whatever posit-ion it may be set by arope-grip M M, applied to the slack rope of the same, and controlled bya rigid connection N, extending to within reach of the machine operator.0f this ropegrip, the part M is a clamp-head, secured in the upper endof the piston G and is provided with a stub shank N2 circular in crosssection, which serves as the journal for the lower sheaves of the blockand tackle. rlhe part M is an eccentrically pivoted clamp le ver,between which and the clamp-head, the rope is held. In order to adaptthis grip to ropes of different sizes or different thicknesses ofthesame rope, the pivot stud p connecting the clamp-lever with theclamp-head is carried by a pair of bearing-blocks P, which are removablyseated in the clamp-head and have the pivot stud-hole p, located atdifferent distances from corresponding surfaces of the block. Theseholes are three in number. Hence, by shifting the bearing-blocks P, soas to bring one or another of the pivot stud holes p into line with thecorresponding openings in the clamp-head, the pivoted part of the clampmay be set forward or thrown backward to vary the size of the ropepassage, as may be required.

In the ram driving engine, I employ a valve of a simple and novelconstruction which is well adapted to engines doing this class of workor any kind of work where a variable cut-off is not needed. It will bereadily understood by reference to Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8. The valve isshown at D6, and is of the rocking or :rotary type, having a hollow hubthrough which the steam is admitted from the steam supply pipe andhollow radial wings d, through which the steam is passed to the cylinderports when the wings are made to register' therewith. For convenience ofconstruction, the valve is removably mounted in a removable section D7of the valve-seat, which is ducts a extend from under the upper wing ofthe valve around the removable section of the valve seat and through thefixed part ofthe valve seat walls and terminate Within the cylinderbelow the center of the same. Corresponding valve ports o. or ductsextend from under the lower wing of the valve around the part D7 andthrough the fixed part of the valve-seat walls and terminate within thecylinder above the center of the same. The piston-head D is elongatedsufiiciently to cover one or the other of these valve ports during itsentire stroke; and is providedwith a pair of exhaust ducts b and b',which register at the proper times with the valve-ports Ct and ctrespectively, to effect the exhaust from the valve, the piston rod beingprovided with a central bore or duct b continuous with b and b andterminating at a point outside the cylinder. The piston-rod ispreferably grooved on its periphery at points coinciding with exhaustducts b and b', as shown at c and c respectively, so as to provide asufficient clearance space to the steam Aexhausted from the valve. Thesegrooves insure a complete exhaust from the valve even if the time ofregistration of the exhaust ducts with the valve ports should beinsufficient for the purpose. With this construction of the valve andthe arrangement of the valve-ports and exhaust ducts, it is evident thatthe valve is operated by direct pressure from the cylinder. As shown inFig. 5, the piston has uncovered the valve-port a and is in position topermit the exhaust from the valve-port a. Hence, the steam behind thepiston will immediately op the valve, cutting off steam from the lowersuitably secured in the steam chest D8. Valve IOO end of the cylinderand admitting the same v' to the upper end of the cylinder. On the downstroke, the reverse action takes place. When the piston uncovers thevalve-port a', the duct b will be in registration with the valve-'portd, and hence the valve will be iiopped in the other direction, so as toadmit the steam to the lower end and permitthe exhaust from the upperend of the cylinder. The hub of the valve is provided with small radialholes d for permitting live steam t0 enter behind the wings of the valvefor steadying the same and holding the same in position when set,thereby'avoidin g the trembling or displacement of the valve under theaction of the steam passing through the wings into the ports of thecylinder. I have found this valve to be very sensitive in its action andreliable and durable in use.

It will of course be understood, that so far as the timber-driver isconcerned, any other suitable valve mechanism might be employed.

The operation of the machine is obvious. The trolley is moved on theover-head support until the machine stands in line with the timber to bedriven.y It is then lowered on to ITO the timber and the driving-enginestarted.v

stopped and the lifting engine called into action. Thiswill instantlylift the driving en- Eine to the proper level for the next timber. Theoperator has then only to move the trolley and drop the machine on tothe'neXt timber. This movement from one timber to another can be done inless time than is required by the workman in the trench to set the nexttimber in position for the drive. By actual usage, I have demonstratedthe etliciency of this machine. rapid Work, saving alarge amount ofdifficult hard labor.

It should be noted that the driving engine could be supported solely bythe timber to be driven. The supplementary or lifting engine and theblock and tackle are in the nature of additional devices for the quickand convenient removal of the driving engine from one timber to another.

I make herein no claim tothe form of rope grip applied to the slack ropeof the tackle, nor to the construction of the valve mechanism, as hereinshown and described; but reserve the right to do so in futureapplications to be made by me.

What I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates,is as follows:

l. The combination with the ram driving engine of the driving headapplicable to the timber to be driven, the said elements each beingprovided with one membervof a pair'of telescoping cylinders within whichWorks the ram of the driving engine, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a ram-driving engine sustainable in Workingposition by the timber to be driven, of a lifting engine having itscylinder secured to a fixed part of the driving engine and having a`piston adapted/to be It is capable of veryV suspended from an overheadsupport, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. The combination with the ram-driving engine and the driving-headapplicable to the timber to be driven, each of said elements beingprovided With one fixed member of apair of telescoping cylinders WithinWhich Works the ram of the driving engine, and a lifting engine havingits cylinder secured to the driving engine and having a piston adaptedto be suspended from an .overhead support,whereby the driving engine isguided at both ends and may be lifted at Will from the ending to thestarting level of the drive.

4. The combination with an overhead support extending along the line ofwork, of a trolley movable on said support, a ram driving enginesustainable by the timber to be driven and a lifting device connectingsaid engine with said trolley, whereby the driving engine may betransferred at Will from one y timber to another.

5. The combination with the driving head applicable to the timber to bedriven, of the ram driving engine, the telescoping cylinders fixed oneto the said head and the other to said engine and inclosing theram-head, the liftingengine having its cylinder secured to the drivingengine, an overhead support eX- tending along the line of work,atrolleymovable on said support and a block and tackle carried by saidtrolley and suspending the piston of `said lifting engine, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM D. VAN DUZEE.

Witnesses:

JAS. F. WILLIAMSON, E. F. ELMORE.

